Wylie sophomore Ronelyse Hartfield, right, netted one goal and one assist in an 8-0 win for the Lady Pirates’ soccer team over North Garland on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
For most players on the Wylie girls’ basketball team, the routine was the same following their Tuesday, Jan. 14, road contest against South Garland as it is in every other road game – gather in the team’s locker room to listen to a postgame speech from second-year Lady Pirates head coach Jessica Linson, gather all of their belongings, walk and get on the team bus for the ride back to Wylie High School.
But for sophomore Ronelyse Hartfield, her focus wasn’t the bus ride or homework. She still had another game to get to. That’s because she had to play in a girls’ soccer game for Wylie that same night.
The Lady Pirates’ soccer team had their District 9-6A opener that same night against North Garland from Wylie ISD Stadium.
If that were a home game for Hartfield, she would have been able to walk across the parking lot from the Montgomery Center to the stadium, but a 20-minute drive was involved that night. Thankfully for Hartfield, her parents were there to provide a source of transportation and drive her to her soccer game.
For Hartfield, she said the car ride provides her the opportunity to refocus her mind from basketball to soccer. But she is also okay with the short walk because it allows her, on most nights, the ability to have more time to warm up for the game.
“I do like going across the parking lot because I’m able to warm up with the soccer team instead of trying to rush it to soccer and maybe miss some of the warm-up and some of the game,” she said. “But I do like being able to switch my mind to soccer when I’m coming from basketball.”
That night, Hartfield arrived at Wylie ISD Stadium five minutes after the start of the game. She walked away from the team bench for a warm-up, stretched her legs and got her mind focused on soccer.
It had already been a good night, from an athletic standpoint, for Hartfield. The sophomore forward scored 13 points for the Lady Pirates’ basketball team in a dominant 53-8 win over South Garland.
On the soccer pitch, Hartfield made an immediate impact. She entered the game at the 20-minute mark and about two minutes later, Hartfield scored a goal off a corner kick that was taken by junior midfielder Betty Daniel.
“We were running our corner kick called ‘AHMO’, and she raised her hand and was ready to go,” Hartfield said. “I made my run in front of the goalie and tapped it in.”
With about 15 minutes left in the second half, Hartfield was capped off a one-goal, one-assist performance by setting up senior Marissa Fitzsimmons in front of the net with Fitzsimmons kicking the ball into the back of the net for a goal – all part of a dominant 8-0 win for the Lady Pirates against the Lady Raiders.
“She demonstrates incredible dedication, mental fortitude, and physical resilience,” said Jessica Linson, Wylie head girls’ basketball coach. “Her ability to compete in two demanding sports—basketball and soccer—on the same day highlights her passion for athletics and her discipline and time management.
“Balancing the physical strain of a full basketball game and immediately transitioning to soccer reflects an elite level of fitness and determination. It also showcases her unwavering commitment to her teams and the goals she’s pursuing, whether that’s personal growth, team success, or both.”
Hartfield’s big night comes less than one month after she suffered a shoulder injury while diving to the court for a loose ball in a 53-50 overtime win over DeSoto in a girls’ basketball game on Dec. 27.
“My arm got stuck between her shoulder and went in two different directions,” she said. “I didn’t know what happened. I just know that it hurt really bad. I thought that it was going to be bad, but I was fine.”
Injury and all, Hartfield is a big reason why the Lady Pirates’ basketball team is well on their way to earning another playoff berth. Wylie came into this week tied with Lakeview Centennial for second place in District 9-6A with identical 9-3 records. Hartfield is averaging 8.2 points and five rebounds per game.
On the soccer pitch, the Wylie girls are 7-0-1 overall, 2-0 in 9-6A play and have outscored their opponents 40-5 on the season. The Lady Pirates’ soccer team seeks to build on their run to the third round of the playoffs last year. Hartfield was a second team all-district selection last year.
“Both teams have a lot of potential,” she said. “We can go far if we work hard.”
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